Shadows of Golstar (33 page)

Hour by agonizing hour, Owens and Sharné watched the
distance between the
Holmes
and the pursuing Golstar ship slowly
increase. Hec monitored the spatial distance closely. An unspoken truce of
sorts had been established between Owens and Sharné and they were civilly
talking to each other again.

“I think we’re beyond their weapons’ range now. They
haven’t fired on us for over two hours,” Hec reported. “Their acceleration is
not as great as I had first estimated. It’s partly due to our erratic
maneuvers. Anyway, I think we can all breathe a little easier… or at least you
and Sharné can, Boss.”

Owens gazed at the holo-screen. Nothing is ever what
it seems, he thought absently. The mighty Golstar ship chasing them was less
than it had first appeared. So far, nothing about Golstar was what it had
appeared. His thoughts drifted to Sharné. Was she what she seemed, he wondered,
or was there something he was missing? Why was she, an apparent high-ranking
government official, assigned to be his liaison? The implication that the
mysterious assignment was much more than it first appeared, seemed to grow with
each passing hour. Given their current plight, he would put these questions
aside, for the time being. But he would certainly pursue them later.

As he watched the holo-screen, he was mildly surprised
to note he
was
breathing a little easier, as Hec had put it. In fact, he
felt almost relaxed and found it strange in light of all that had recently
taken place. He wasn’t experiencing that hyper-edginess that usually came over
him in life-and-death situations, such as those he had experienced in the past
while still on the force.

He felt nothing he could readily identify. Instead, he
felt a kind of curious detachment, as if experiencing their unlikely situation
as an outside observer rather than a participant. Perhaps this feeling was
simply a result of the accumulation of all that had already happened, a
spiritual numbness brought on by the multiple attacks and narrow escapes. He
wondered if he could be experiencing some form of battle fatigue.

Whatever it was, he thought, it was a damn poor time
to engage in self-psychoanalysis. He snorted. Screw it; the only thing that
mattered at the moment was to see Sharné safely returned to Berralton. And if
he could manage it, figure a way to make the bastards responsible for the
attacks, pay dearly. With this notion, the more familiar sense of edginess,
bordering on anticipation returned. That’s more like it, he thought.

Minutes passed and the feeling of detachment gradually
returned. He knuckled his eyes and yawned hugely. He realized that instead of
detachment, what he was likely feeling was a simple case of physical fatigue.
He was dead tired and it was affecting his thinking. Even with the medical
treatment, he still needed some old-fashioned sleep to recover his edge. And on
further consideration, he wagered that he wasn’t the only one who needed some
time to recuperate.

He swiveled in the command chair and looked pointedly
at Sharné. Even with their recent truce, little had been said between them in
the tense, ensuing hours of the chase. All of their attention had been focused
on tracking the pursuing ship. Now looking at Sharné, he saw there were the beginnings
of dark circles under her eyes and although she was casually reclined in the
crew chair, by her expression, he could see that she was warily alert, staring
at the holo-screen with undisguised intensity. She was so focused she didn’t
appear to have noticed his obvious scrutiny. He cleared his throat and her eyes
slowly turned to his.

“You okay?” he asked. “Our exit from the
Light
Saber
was pretty traumatic, not to mention exhausting. I can think of
better ways to get exercise. Our little run took more out of me than I realized
and I can only imagine how you might feel, given the loss of the
Saber
….”
His voice trailed off awkwardly. “Well, I know I should have asked you this
earlier, but considering the situation, I admit to being… a little preoccupied.
But I’m asking now, do you feel as tired as I do?”

She looked at Owens and remembered the terrible
deteriorating conditions under which he had carried her to safety. She
remembered the power in his body as he forced their way through the
Saber’s
collapsing
interior. More importantly, she remembered the strength of his will, as he
fought the odds against their survival and won. Although she heard the
tiredness in his voice, physically he seemed little worse for wear and this was
more amazing, given the extent of the injury he had received during their
harrowing escape. But even now, she imagined she could sense the quiet strength
that always seemed to reside within him.

She gave him a small smile, “Given the circumstances
and thanks to you, yes, I am quite all right. But like you, I cannot deny I am
weary. It
was
quite an experience and though I wish it otherwise, I know
it remains far from over. I wonder whether it will ever end …the running I
mean.” She tiredly brushed an errant strand of hair from her eyes.

Owens nodded, “I know. I’d be the first to agree we’re
not out of the woods yet. But in spite of the odds, we’re alive and I’d go as
far as to say that our chances have actually improved a little since the
attack.”

“I pray you are right.”

“I am right. I think it’s obvious our friends behind
us relied principally on the element of surprise. With that advantage now gone
and owing to our considerable lead, I believe we have a very real chance of
getting out of this in one piece.” He grinned, “Besides Hec and I make a pretty
formidable team. The mutineers don’t know it yet, but they’re outclassed.”

“That’s right,” Hec chimed in.

Sharné’s smile grew, “I cannot disagree. Our continued
existence is clear proof of that.” She hesitated. “Your experience in these
matters has proven to be an incalculable asset and your actions back on the
Light
Saber
gives me hope that indeed we may yet survive, but…” Her eyes were
lured back to the holo-screen and she stared at the red blip of the Golstar
ship in dread fascination.

Trying to pull her attention back away from the
holo-screen, he said, “And your performance under fire gives me hope as well,”
he said.

Her eyes turned back to his, “My performance?”

He nodded, “I just carried you; you were in the driver’s
seat. In spite of all that was happening around us, you kept your head
throughout the attack and didn’t panic. You were the one who guided us to
safety. That was an impressive performance, Sharné. I know veterans back on the
force who wouldn’t have acted near as well as you did under similar
circumstances.”

Her attention remained focused on him.

Encouraged, he went on, “So I want you to know you’re
part of the team too. It’s because of your help we’re still alive; you provided
the keys to our survival. We all need to contribute if we want to survive.”

She was struck by the open honesty she found in his
handsome face. She could feel a flush rising from her neck. “You are being
kind, but I do appreciate the compliment. Of course, I will do my best to help.”

He shrugged, “Kindness has nothing to do with it; it’s
the simple truth.”

Her smile blossomed and this time her eyes joined in.

With her smile, he noted that even in her present
bedraggled condition, her beauty was not in the least diminished. He stopped,
momentarily tongue-tied. He searched for something to say next and the silence
stretched. He actually felt self-conscious. He hadn’t experienced that feeling
in many years. Her presence was beginning to affect him in ways that he could
not afford to think about right then. He would not allow the stirrings of
errant feelings intrude on his thinking, talk about lousy timing…

As he pondered what next to say, another unconnected
thought crossed his mind and he quickly grasped at it as a means to break the
silence. “Before we were interrupted by the attack, we were going to discuss
the reason that brought me here. I’m dam… uh, still very curious to find out
about the nature of the situation you wanted my help in investigating.”

She raised her eyebrows slightly, “Do you want to
discuss it now?”

That was a dumb thing to bring up, he thought. He was
starting to ramble. Damn, she really was distracting him a lot more than he had
first realized. “No, with all that’s happened, I think it’s more important that
we get something to eat and at least try to catch up on some sleep. I… just
wanted you to know I think the explanation, vital as it is, should be put aside
for now. For the time being, our focus needs to be on survival.”

Sharné was a little surprised at his mention of sleep,
but said nothing. For some reason, he seemed a little flustered. She stared at
him with interest. She saw he noticed her watching him and was amused when he
stood up abruptly and almost tripped. She saw the hint of a flush on the back
of his neck as he walked purposely over to a panel equipped with a touchpad and
small display. He tapped a series of numbers and the panel opened to reveal two
tall glasses filled with an amber liquid. He took them and walked back over to
where Sharné was sitting and handed her one of the drinks.

“Here, try this. It provides all the requisite
nutrients your body needs and it doesn’t taste half bad either. We can have a
real meal later, but right now I think that it’s important to get some sleep as
soon as we can.” 

She took a small sip. It tasted like honey and lemon
with a subtle overlay of some unfamiliar spice. She smiled at the flavor and
began to drink it in earnest. They quickly finished their nutri-drinks and
Owens returned the empty glasses to the receptacle.

As the panel was closing, he turned to her and said,
“I know this has been difficult, but we’re still alive. To stay that way, we
need to have clear heads, so I was dead serious when I mentioned about getting
some sleep. We’re not in any immediate danger; the real danger will come when
we reach Selane.”

“Are you sure…” she began.

He said, “Look, I know sleep may be the last thing on
your mind, but you should at least try. Trust me; I’m certainly going to try.”

“But how can you think of sleep?” She gestured at the
tactical display.

“Sharné, watching that isn’t going change anything. As
I said before, we’re safe for now and it’s a good opportunity get some sleep.
It’s been my experience you should try to take advantage of every chance to
rest when one presents itself.”

“You are truly serious?”

“Absolutely, the more rested we are, the clearer our
thinking will be when it comes time to make planet-fall. Clear heads could very
well be our only advantage. Look, it may be some time before we get another
chance, so we need to try to take advantage of this lull.”

“I
am
tired, but I am still not sure that I
will be able to sleep.” She looked again toward the holo-screen.

He nodded, “Believe me, I understand. I know it may
not now seem possible, but it’s crucial we be rested and alert for what’s to
come, and I would really appreciate it if you would at least make the effort.
There are guest quarters on this ship and Hec has already set them up. While not
up to the
Light Saber’s
standards, you should find the bed quite
comfortable.”

He saw that she seemed to be wavering. He went on,
“Honestly Sharné, Hec has everything under control. There’s nothing more we can
do at the moment. You and I are not really needed here. We’re just observers
while Hec does all the real work.
 
He’ll
notify us should anything change.”

He saw that she still seemed to hesitate. He said, “If
you find you need something to help you sleep, there are some soothers in the
med cabinet in your quarters.”

She saw the merit in Owens’ reasoning, but remained
dubious. How could she sleep with the mutineers still chasing them? As she
thought about Owens’ suggestion, she found it interesting that their roles had
become reversed, with Owens now being the one in control, directing their
actions. After all, she reasoned, it was his ship and he was an ex-police
detective. Still, being in the position of Keeper of the Way for so long, she
was surprised to note how easily the responsibility in the current situation
had shifted. Oddly, she didn’t feel particularly threatened by it, in fact,
just the opposite. She felt relief that someone of Owens’ experience and
background was responsible for their survival. He was asking her to trust him.
Given what he had done to get them this far, how could she not?

With that thought, she began to unwind a little and
allowed the weariness overtake her. She was surprised at how tired she actually
felt. She looked into Owens’ eyes and saw both encouragement and reassurance.
Her apprehension faded a little further. Maybe she
could
at least rest
if not actually sleep. She finally nodded her assent to Owens. “Truly, I
am
tired, and yes, I agree that some rest would be welcome. I will accept your
suggestion and try to get some sleep.”

“Good, as I said, I’m going to take my own advice and
try to catch a few winks myself.” He then gave her simple directions to the
guest suite and they parted, heading for their respective cabins. On entering
his quarters and sealing the entry hatch, he walked over to the beverage
dispenser and keyed for a beer. He withdrew the foamy mug and took a long pull.
He smiled appreciatively at the icy brew and asked, “Is she in her quarters?
What’s she doing?”